Improvement in fire-boxes for locomotive-engines



R. GREENWOOD. e

Steam` Boiler Fire Box.

No. 25,009. Patented Aug. 9, 1859.

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RALPH GREENVOOD, OF AIIOONA,.PENNSYLVANIA IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-.BOXES FORLOCOIVIOTIVE-ENGINES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,009, dated August 9,1859.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, RALPH GREENWOOD, of Altoona, in the county of Blairand State of Pennsylvania,`have invented a new and useful Improvement inFire-Boxes for Steam- Boilers; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear7 and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, marking a part of this specification,in which- Figure l is a side view of a locomotive iirebox. Fig. 2 is afront sectional view of the same, taken in the line t x, Fig. 3. Fig. 3is a side sectional view ot the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention, although applicable to all steam-boilers, is moreespecially designed for coal-burning locomotives.

The obj ect of this invention is to consume the inflammable products ofimperfect combustion and at the same time present to the direct actionof the tire.a larger area of heating-surface, thereby economizing infuel and augmenting generally the efficiency of coalburning locomotives.

The invention consists in the employment or use of a mid-feather orwater-chamber placed directly over the iire and provided with aplurality of small tlues, which form a communication between thefire-box and a gaschamber above, into which, as well as into thefire-box below, air is admitted through hollow stay-bolts at the sidesand end of the boiler and the desired object attained.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the iire-box ot a locomotive provided with double walls,which form water-spaces a, communicating with the boiler B.

C is a mid-feather or water-chamber, which is placed within the fire-boxdirectly over the tire. This mid-feather extends the whole width andlength of the iire-box and forms a 'partition or barrier between thetire-box and what may be termed a gas-chamber, D, which communicateswith nue-tubes Z). The water-chamber C communicates at its front endwith the boiler B by a vertical tube, cand said water-chamber isprovided with hol,

low stay-bolts d, by which a communication is formed between thefire-box and the gaschamber, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and Thismid-feather or water-chamber C maybe constructed of boiler-plate andarranged precisely similar to the double-walled waterspaces d of thefire-box; or perforated iirebricks may be used with advantage, althoughthe water-chamber would be preferable, on account of its economy inincreasing the heating-surface of the boiler.

The gas-chamber D is made to communicate with the` external air at oneor both sides by means of perforations c, formed by hollow stay-bolts,the outer oriiices of which are provided with a register, E. Thefire-box A, also, is made to communicate at each side with the externalair by means of hollow stay-bolts f, the outer orifices of which arealso provided with a register, F. The two registers E F at each side ofthe tire-box are connected by a lever, G, as shown clearly in Figs. land 2.

The water-spaces d at the front end of the tire-box and gas-chamber arealso provided with hollow stay-bolts g to admit air to the tire-box andgas-chamber, and the fire-box is also provided with hollow stay-bolts 71at its back end.

By having the registers E F connected by the lever G, as shown, theopenings c fof the gas-chamber and tire-box may be contracted orenlarged simultaneously, according' to thc amount of oxygen required.

The operation is as follows: The draft from the tire being through thehollow stay-bolts d of the mid-feather or water-chamber (l, the productsof combustion, or, rather, the products of imperfect combustion, aredivided, so as to readily combine with the oxygen admitted into thegas-chamber D, and the temperature of the gases, when combined withoxygen, will be sufficiently high to cause them to Aignite and beconsumed. Oxygen is also admitted into the fire-box through the hollowstay-bolts g 7L f, so as to produce a perfect and even distribution ofdraft through the midfeather or water-chamber and a more perfect unionof the gases and oxygen.

I am aware that a mid-feather has been used in connection with anair-chamber as a means for distributing air into the iire-box, and I donot claim such device when placed in relation with an air-Chamberfors'uoh purpose; but I am not aware that a mid-feather has been usedsingl)7 and simply as a distributer to divide or spread the inflammableproducts of imperfect combustion and render their union with the oxygenadmitted into the chamber more perfect than it would otherwise be.

I claim therefore as new and desire to secure by Letters Petent- 1. Themid-feather C, when used in eouneetion with a gas-chamber D, andlfire-box A,

provided with openings e f g 7L, the parts being arranged relativelyWith each other to operate substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The two registers E F, when applied to the orices of the gas-Chamberand lire-box and connected bya lever, G, to operate simultaneously, asand for the purpose set forth.

RALPH GREENVOOD.

NVitnesses:

A. D. CHENY, RoBT. F. ROGERS.

